Christ and the Apostles, by Del Parson

March 30–April 12

Easter

“He Shall Rise … with Healing in His Wings”

As you read the scriptures suggested here and in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families, the Spirit will help you know what to focus on to help the children feel the Savior’s love on Easter Sunday.

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Talk to the children about things you do to remember the Savior at Easter. Invite them to share what they do.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

1 Nephi 11:27; Mosiah 3:5; 15:7; Helaman 14:16–17

Book of Mormon prophets knew that Jesus Christ would come.

Learning what the prophets in the Book of Mormon taught about Jesus Christ’s mission and earthly ministry can help strengthen the children’s faith in Him.

Possible Activities

• Display pictures of the Savior being baptized, healing others, being crucified, and as a resurrected being (see this week’s activity page or Gospel Art Book, nos. 35, 41, 57, 59). Ask the children to tell you what is happening in each picture. Explain that many years before Jesus came to earth, God revealed to prophets in the Book of Mormon that He would do these things. Read 1 Nephi 11:27; Mosiah 3:5; 15:7; and Helaman 14:16–17, and help the children match these scriptures with the corresponding pictures.

• As the children work on this week’s activity page, talk about the prophets pictured and what they taught about Jesus Christ. Share with the children some of the wonderful things Jesus has done for us.

3 Nephi 11:1–17

Jesus Christ was resurrected.

Teach the children that in addition to the people who saw the resurrected Savior in Jerusalem, thousands saw Him when He appeared in the Americas.

Possible Activities

• Show pictures of the Savior’s death and Resurrection. Ask the children what they know about these events. As needed, use “Chapter 53: Jesus Is Crucified” and “Chapter 54: Jesus Is Risen” (New Testament Stories, 136–38, 139–44, or the corresponding videos on ChurchofJesusChrist.org) to tell the children these stories.

• Using pictures from the Gospel Art Book or Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families, tell the children about the resurrected Savior’s visit to the Americas, as described in 3 Nephi 11:1–17. Repeat the story several times, inviting children to help you. Emphasize details that you feel would be meaningful to the children. In particular, emphasize that even though Jesus had died on the cross, the people could see that He was now resurrected. Let the children take turns retelling the story in their own words.

• Sing together “Easter Hosanna” or the last verse of “Book of Mormon Stories” (Children’s Songbook, 68–69, 118–19). Invite the children to draw pictures of something the song describes. Then ask the children to share their drawings and what they think it would have felt like to be there when Jesus visited the Nephites.

Mosiah 3:7; Alma 7:11–12

Jesus Christ knows how to comfort me.

Because Jesus Christ suffered “the pains and the sicknesses of his people” (Alma 7:11), He knows how we feel, even when no one else does.

Possible Activities

• Read to the children the first few lines of Mosiah 3:7, and invite them to pretend they are feeling “pain … , hunger, thirst, and fatigue [tiredness].” Ask them to share times when they have felt these things. Then tell the children that this verse describes some things Jesus Christ felt when He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane. Because of this, He knows how to help us when we feel these things.

• Read Alma 7:11 aloud, and ask the children if they know someone who is sick or in pain. Testify that Jesus Christ felt all of our “pains and sicknesses” so that He could understand how to comfort us (Alma 7:12).

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

2 Nephi 9:10–15; Alma 11:41–45; 40:21–23

Because Jesus Christ was resurrected, I will be resurrected too.

The Book of Mormon clearly describes what resurrection means and who will be resurrected. How can you help the children discover these truths?

Possible Activities

• Ask the children to tell you what they know about the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Write on the board questions like What does it mean to be resurrected? and Who will be resurrected? Help the children find answers in 2 Nephi 9:10–15; Alma 11:41–45; and Alma 40:21–23 and share with the class what they find.

• Tell the children about someone you know who has died. Ask them to pretend that you don’t know about the Resurrection. How would they help you understand what it is? Encourage them to use 2 Nephi 9:10–15; Alma 11:41–45; or Alma 40:21–23 to teach you about resurrection. Also invite them to bear testimony of the Savior’s Resurrection as part of their answer.

Gethsemane, by Michael T. Malm

Enos 1:2–8; Mosiah 27:8–24; Alma 13:11–12; 24:7–19

The Atonement of Jesus Christ cleanses me and changes me.

The Book of Mormon gives many examples of people who were changed because of the Savior’s Atonement. Consider how these experiences might inspire the children to repent and turn to the Savior.

Possible Activities

• Show the children a clean white shirt and a dirty white shirt. Read together Alma 13:11–12. How were the people made clean from their sins? How did this make them feel about sin? Talk about how you feel when you repent and receive forgiveness, and bear your testimony of the Savior’s power to cleanse us from sin.

• Invite the children to choose one of the following people to learn about: Enos (see Enos 1:2–8), Alma the Younger (see Mosiah 27:8–24), or the Anti-Nephi-Lehies (see Alma 24:7–19). As you read the story together, invite the children to notice how this person or group changed because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. How can we follow the examples of these people?

Mosiah 3:7; 15:5; Alma 7:11

Jesus Christ took upon Himself my sins, pains, and sicknesses.

In addition to suffering for our sins, the Savior also suffered our pains, sicknesses, and other infirmities so He would know how to comfort us.

Possible Activities

• Assign each child to search one of the following verses to find what Jesus Christ suffered: Mosiah 3:7; Mosiah 15:5; or Alma 7:11. Invite them to list on the board what they found and to think of times when they have felt some of these things. According to Alma 7:12, why did Jesus suffer all of this? Why is it important to know He suffered these things for us?

• Sing together a hymn about the Savior, such as “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (Hymns, no. 136). Invite the children to search the hymn for phrases that describe how the Savior comforts us, and talk about why these phrases are meaningful to them. Share your feelings about Jesus Christ, and invite the children to share theirs.

Encourage Learning at Home

Invite the children to look for someone this week who needs comfort. Encourage them to share with this person what they learned about the Savior taking upon Himself our pain so He could comfort us.

Improving Our Teaching

Invite sharing. Ask the children about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. You’ll find that they often have simple yet profound insights.